Paul Burstow, a former Liberal Democrat chief whip, was yesterday asked in an
interview with LBC Radio 96.3 what he did after a party activist told him
she had been groped by a senior peer. He refused to answer, despite being
asked 21 times.

JHB [Julia Hartley-Brewer, the presenter]: Alison Smith reported that to you as chief whip in April 2007. What did she tell you?

PB [Paul Burstow]: It's very important that the women who made the allegations are properly listened to. There are now two reviews going on. The party's inquiries have to be very thorough indeed. If there have eben mistakes made in the past then clearly many of us in the party are giong to have to learn from our mistakes on that. But I really can't offer a running commentary.

JHB: Oh Paul, what did she tell you and what did you do? Did you do anything? Speak to anyone, tell Nick Clegg, talk to Lord Rennard?

What did you do when a party activist came to you and said she had been sexually harassed by the chief executive of your party. Did you do nothing?

PB: I'm very sorry Julia, what I've said to you is all I can do today.

JHB: Did you do nothing? If you don't answer people listening right now will assume you did nothing and allowed something to continue.

PB: People might draw that conclusion.

JHB: Would they not be right to draw that conclusion?

PB: What I'm saying to you is if you have a proper process of examining what happened and the event...

JHB: If you had a proper process this would have never had been on Channel 4 News last week would it?

PB: That's a conclusion that you're entitled to reach.

JHB: Did you speak to Lord Rennard? Did you take her complaint to someone else and if so who?

PB: What I'm telling you Julia is we have these two inquiries...

JHB: Did you speak to Lord Rennard as the chief whip of the party when you were told that he had been alleged to have been sexually harassing Liberal Democrat party activists?

PB: One of them is a disciplinary inquiry. That immediately brings us into issues of sub-judice.

JHB: No it doesn't. There is absolutely no issue of sub-judice whatsoever.

PB: Secondly, the other inquiry is looking at the very issues you are asking about now.

JHB: Why does an inquiry mean you can't answer questions? You're an MP for London Paul. You come on my show. You knew I was going to answer these questions. This isn't a running commentary. It is very simple.

JHB: You were chief whip of the Liberal Democrat Party in April 2007 when a party activist Alison Smith claims she came to you and said that she had been sexually harassed by Lord Rennard, the chief executive of the party. I want to know what did you do and who did you tell?

PB: You will have to wait until the inquiries have been concluded.

JHB: Are we to conclude that you did nothing to stop a senior figure in your party sexually harassing junior of staff?

PB: You will draw your own conclusions.

JHB: Is that not a reasonable conclusion to draw?

JHB: Paul if you had taken action why would you not tell us? If you took that to Nick Clegg as the party leader or spoke to Lord Rennard yourself would you not be proud to point out I Paul Burstow acted as I should have acted and did the right thing?

PB: In the circumstances we are talking none of this is about being proud. It's about having the proper process.

JHB: So you're not proud of the action you failed to take or did take?

PB: It's not about being proud. It's about having a proper process...

JHB: Was Lord Rennard made aware of that complaint in April 2007?

PB: ...to make sure lessons are learned.

JHB: Was Lord Rennard made aware of that complaint in April 2007?

PB: I don't know whether he was made aware...

JHB: Wait a minute. You were chief whip of the party. You were in charge of party discipline and you weren't aware whether the chief executive was told about an allegation of sexual harassment against him?

PB: Now Julia whilst I of course anticipated that you would move onto this particular subject. I've come onto this programme to talk about some serious issues in the health service.

JHB: And we've spoken for five minutes about that.

PB: You were very, very gracious in allowing that amount of time before you moved onto this. I've given you the answers that I'm going to give today on this. I've set out very clearly the position the party is taking and that I'm participating in those inquiries.

JHB: But you're not willing to discuss with the voters of London what you did?

PB: I'm more than happy once those inquiries have reached their conclusions made their judgements and so on more than happy to talk to you about my part in this and others parts in this.